Food history

Who invented Thousand Island dressing? Tour guides will tell you it was the chef of billionaire George Boldt and his wife. But Alan Benas has uncovered a different origin story. He now bottles and sells a version based on a recipe discovered in the safe of a century-plus-old restaurant.

Thousand Islands, Two Tales: Who Really Invented That Dressing?

Julia Botero

The dressing, a mix of ketchup, mayo and some other stuff, is the subject of rival origin stories. One features a romantic billionaire, the other a Hollywood actress and a humble fishing guide.

A well-traveled root: A vendor sells sweet potatoes at a market near Manila in 2011. The Portuguese brought the root to the Philippines all the way from the Caribbean.

Food

How The Sweet Potato Crossed The Pacific Way Before The Europeans Did

Michaeleen Doucleff

The genes of the root vegetable have a juicy story to tell of trans-oceanic adventure. A DNA analysis of sweet potatoes adds evidence to the theory that ancient Polynesians visited South America long before the Europeans arrived.

Thousands of years ago, a mutation in the human genome allowed many adults to digest lactose and drink milk.

Food

An Evolutionary Whodunit: How Did Humans Develop Lactose Tolerance?

Helen Thompson

Thousands of years ago, ancient farmers gained the ability to consume milk as adults without getting an upset stomach. A remarkable mutation let some of them digest lactose sugar. But scientists still puzzle over why that mutation persisted and became prevalent in modern humans.

Environment

East Coast author defending salmon, speaking out against Alaska's Pebble Mine

Bellamy Pailthorp

The future of food is a subject writer Paul Greenberg has explored extensively in his NYTimes bestselling book, called Four Fish. It’s also something that…

Dixon Jimenez (right), delivers tacos with other activists to Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. in East Haven, Conn., on Jan. 26. Maturo was not in his office to receive the tacos.

Food

Here's A Pie In Your Eye: A Brief History Of Food Fights

Kristofor Husted

Whether throwing it, dumping it or serving it, protesters have used food to express their discontent with public figures for centuries. The delivery of 500 tacos to a Connecticut mayor's office is just the latest incarnation.